Well That Figures….
I stared at the note for a minute, not comprehending. What the hell could Celestia need me for?
"Maybe cause you’re a door kicker” my mind whispered
This DID reek of something surreptitious, It reminded me of the one and only time I’d been chopped to an OGA team in J-bad, that hadn’t ended well for anyone involved…
“Calm down, and figure it out”
“Mike?” Twi called out from the landing
“Yeah sweetheart?”
“I have to take a trip to Canterlot, for a meeting with Princess Celestia”
Now my bullshit detector was pinging hard… I held up the note.
Twilight’s eyes went wide “You got the same letter?”
I nodded, her reaction told me all I needed to know. “I’ll grab my jacket, and some gear, meet you outside, Teleport?”
She nodded in turn “It’s the fastest way”
I double-timed it up the stairs and grabbed the pack I kept under my bed, my rolling gear minus my weapons and grenades, my MICH helmet, and finally my IBA (Body armor). I pulled the straps tight… didn’t wanna lose the fucker in the n th dimension or wherever a guy went when you teleported.
Twilight was waiting in the front yard wearing her cutie mark emblazoned saddle bags.
“Ready?”
“Yeah, lets do it”
A sharp crack, a flash and we were gone, into the Technicolor mind-rape that was teleportation…
We appeared seconds later in the throne room of the Royal Palace. Celestia was pacing the center of the room, flanked by two burly pegasi guards, Spike, and a smaller dark blue Alicorn I didn’t know but could only be Luna, the relief on her face at our arrival was palpable.
I bowed “Princess, what’s going on?”
“Time is short Michael, let us walk and I will explain” she turned to Luna “Sister, go and inform Lightning I will need what I’ve left in his care”
Luna nodded and took off down the hallway, Celestia turned and headed for the library, motioning for us to follow.
“Michael?”
“Yes Ma’am”
“About the time you showed up in Canterlot, my scouts informed me of a rift that had formed close to our northern border, I wrote it off, thinking it a magical anomaly, as is common from time to time. Now it appears the rift is widening, if it continues at it’s current rate it poses a threat to every being on the planet”
Silence fell over our group, after a long moment Twilight spoke “What do we do Princess?”
Celestia stopped, and sighed heavily, I saw my worst fears in the look of pure sadness shining out from behind her magenta eyes.
“We send Michael through, I’m sorry, you have to go home..”
“What?!” Twilight cried, “No! Princess please! There has to be another way”
Celestia‘s voice cracked as she spoke “There is no other way Twilight, The rift formed as a result of the catastrophe that brought him here, the destructive energy is already affecting the surrounding area. Michael is the anomaly holding it open, with his continued presence, all of Equestria is in danger”
“Princess, I love him! We can’t-
I felt numb.. but I had my orders “Twi, it’s okay”
Twilight rounded on me, tears running down her face.. God, she was breaking my heart “HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!” she raged. .
Kneeling down so I could be eye to eye with her, I reached out and brushed my fingertips through her mane, “Twi, I can’t-” I swallowed around the lump forming in my throat. “I can’t let anything happen to you, or anypony for that matter” I slipped my hand under her chin and lifted her gaze to mine, “I told you once I’d protect you all with my life and I meant it, I love you so much Twilight, I love all of Equestria, enough to do what’s right.”
I stood and faced Celestia, “When would I leave Princess?”
“Dawn tomorrow, I have rooms prepared for the both of you”
I nodded, the sick feeling in my stomach refusing to abate…
Dinner was a nonevent, I said my goodnights and headed up to my room, the only break in the action came when Luna showed up carrying my Mk18, Mk25 and the rest of my lethal gear.
“Our sister instructed us to return these items to you, human, we hope they are still functional”
I bowed “Thank you Princess, I’m sure everything is in order”
Luna bowed slightly and turned to leave, she stopped about halfway out the door “Twilight Sparkle weeps for you human, if what my sister says is true, you are in the wrong room”
My eyebrow shot up, “Point taken Princess”
Luna smiled and shut the door behind her. I set about checking my weapons and gear. Luna’s words rang in my ears, I knew exactly where I needed to be…
I approached Twi’s door, knocking softly.
“Y-yes?”
“Twi?, it’s Mike, can I come in?”
Rapid hoof steps, the door flew open. Twilight’s lips hit mine and It got….interesting
The Next Morning…
I was still lying awake when the soft knock came, the wake up call I didn‘t want, I wanted to freeze this moment in time forever. Twilight was still asleep, her head resting on my chest, I didn’t have the heart to wake her… not yet. I kissed her head softly, slipped out of her embrace and started gathering my gear, the time was fast approaching.
I walked out of my room, hoping for a smoke before anyone else woke up. Applejack was standing by her door just down the hall, she caught my eye and motioned me over.
“Hey AJ”
“Howdy Mike, ah’d like to talk to ya ‘fore we get this show on the road”
“Anything AJ”
“Ah never got tha chance tah thank ya for all you’ve done for mah family, Applebloom ,especially. I know she’ll miss ya, we all will”
“I’ll miss you guys too, y’all took me in and treated me like your own, I won’t forget that. I should probably go wake Twi, the sooner we get on the better”
AJ nodded, “I understand partner”
I turned to head back into the room
“Mike?”
“Yeah AJ?”
“Ah’m sorry.. ‘bout you and Twi”
I smiled sadly as I walked to my door “Yeah, I am too”
Twi had a look of serenity on her face , eyes still closed, snoring softly. I sat on the edge of the bed, sadness threatening to overwhelm me, I can flick the switch when needed but not now.. I risked a glance at Twilight, she shifted and moaned softly….
It started as a few tears and escalated into wracking sobs, I kept quiet so as not to wake her while I expressed my rage, frustration and loss in a way only people have who’ve willingly marched toward certain death can understand. After a few minutes it subsided, the tears were still running down my face and I still felt empty.. but I had my mission, and goddamned if I was gonna let a whole race of sentient beings down, this is what I do.
I heard the blankets rustling as Twilight stirred.
“Mike?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I love you”
“I love you too sweetheart”
A few hours later we arrived at Equestria’s northern border. Celestia, Twilight, and I rode in the lead chariot, while the Elements rode tail-end flanked by a dozen gold-clad Royal Guards. The rift was huge, a shifting, undulating mass of light. I could see clearly the effects of the radiation on the surrounding area even from this height, the trees were black and twisted, the grass was sparse and dying in a one-hundred-yard radius around the anomaly. A thought crossed my mind and I tapped Celestia on the wing.
“Princess! We can’t get too close! The radiation!”
She nodded and called out for her pegasi guards to land about 150 yards from the rift, the rest fanned out, forming a perimeter around the Princess, myself, and the rest of the Elements.
“Michael?”
“Yes, Princess?”
“I-...Take care” she said, her voice cracking slightly as she wrapped her wing around my shoulders
I leaned into it, putting my arm around her neck “Likewise Princess, I’ll never forget the kindness you’ve shown me” After a moment we broke the embrace with a final look and a curt nod Celestia strode away, shouting orders to the detachment.
Twilight stepped forward, brushing her nose lightly against my cheek, lowering her voice to a whisper “ I wish we had more time…”
I stared deep into those violet eyes, the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen, welling up with tears. I brushed my hand over her cheek softly “ We both know there’s no way to avert what’s coming, not as long as I’m here”.
She smiled sorrowfully, a single tear making its way down her cheek “ I will always hold a place in my heart for you, I never believed I could feel this way, Mike. Thank you.”
I felt tears threatening to fall as I tried to speak around the lump in my throat, there was so much I wanted, no, needed to say to her but nothing seemed to fit I-.
The ground began to quake violently, large rifts opening up in the earth all around us.
“Go!, We’re out of time” She yelled
I shot her one last look, burning her beauty into my mind forever, and took off at a dead run towards the portal, with a brilliant flash of light I was gone…